CONTEXT: According to Open Secrets, the top Senate recipient of donations from pro-Israel PACs is Hillary Clinton, with $2,473,367; the lowest is Dirk Kempthorne - Senator from Idaho from 1993-1999 - with $500. All donations took place between 1989 and the current cycle. Data for the current cycle were released by the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. This information is from the Center for Responsive Politics. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR PAC ENDORSEMENTS:
(4 points for first PAC, 1 point for each additional)

A political action committee (PAC) is an organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level. They endorse candidates and help raise money for them. There are currently 20 pro-Israel PACs. (One PAC - J-Street - is supportive of some pro-Palestinian positions. Any politician endorsed by J-Street receives one pro-Palestine point and one pro-Israel point. For more info on J-Street, click on the endorsement box for any candidate with a Palestine badge.)

The 20 pro-Israel PACS are
1. J-Street
2. NorPAC
3. Republican Jewish Coalition
4. Florida Congressional Committee
5. Citizens Organized PAC
6. Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs
7. National Action Committee
8. Desert Caucus
9. Bi-County PAC
10. Friends of Israel
11. SunPAC
12. American Principles
13. Maryland Association for Concerned Citizens
14. To Protect Our Heritage PAC
15. Americans United in Support of Democracy
16. Heartland PAC
17. Washington PAC
18. National PAC
19. Louisiana for American Security
20. Grand Canyon State Caucus

SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE BILLS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

4 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
3 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
2 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

BACKGROUND: On August 16, 2007, the US and Israel Signed a ten-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on US military assistance to Israel. The total assistance over the course of this understanding would equal $30,000,000,000. SOURCE

The 2016 MOU reflected grant assistance to Israel from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2028 at a level of $3,300,000,000 annually, totaling $33,000,000,000, the largest single pledge of military assistance ever and a reiteration of the seven-decade, unshakeable, bipartisan commitment of the United States to Israel’s security. The MOU also reflected US support for funding for cooperative programs to develop, produce, and procure missile, rocket, and projectile defense capabilities from FY 2019 to FY 2028 at a level of $500,000,000 per year, totaling $5,000,000,000.

This was a Memorandum of Understanding – a non-binding agreement. Currently Congress is considering legislation to make it law (and even more pro-Israel) : S.2497 – United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018.

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE BILLS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

4 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
3 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
2 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

The Taylor Force Act worked its way through Congress over the course of 13 months. Finally it passed in March 2018, tucked away inside an omnibus spending bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, self-proclaimed “guardian of Israel" (not of the US) had promised to do “everything possible" to help get the Taylor Force Act through, preferably by unanimous consent. SOURCE

Our Congress knows how the program works, but refuses to accept it: Sen. Blunt (R-MO) declared, “This is not a welfare system, but a so-called martyr system and we shouldn’t allow the killers and ruthless attackers to be recognized as martyrs in a system that we are part of." The noteworthy – and unspoken – other side of the coin is American aid to Israel, which continues unimpeded, regardless of Israel’s actions. $10 million a day from the US bankrolls the occupation and blockade, its high-tech wars against the unarmed population of Gaza, and ongoing human rights abuses. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE BILLS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

4 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
3 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
2 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

The Taylor Force Act (now law) grew out of one of the most misunderstood practices of the Palestinian Authority: the provision of financial assistance to widows and children of those killed or imprisoned by Israeli forces. Israel calls it "pay to slay" and insists that it incentivizes terrorism. This characterization dehumanizes Palestinians. Please read about this important social safety net program here. SOURCE

Yet the U.S. has not cut aid to Israel after 50 years of West Bank occupation, numerous unlawful killings or beatings, even of American citizens.

While voting against the Taylor Force Act may represent concern for Palestinians, in some cases the vote may actually represent a pro-Israel motivation. Some Israeli officials and pro-Israel Americans opposed the Taylor Force Act out of concern that it will harm Israel by undermining the Palestinian Authority, which often takes actions useful to Israel.
SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE BILLS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

4 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
3 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
2 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

This bill does not use the word "settlement," but legitimizing settlement-made products as "Israeli" is one of its main objectives. S720 opposes calls by the United Nations or the EU to boycott or “blacklist" companies that support Israeli activities in the territories occupied in the 1967 war. The bill further prohibits any US person from supporting this UN call to boycott and establishes stiff fines and/or imprisonment for Americans who violate this prohibition. SOURCE

According to The Hill, this legislation was written by AIPAC. It makes it criminal to heed calls from non-state actors (like the UN) to boycott. The maximum civil penalty is $1 million and maximum prison sentence is 20 years. As the ACLU makes clear, the bill makes no distinction between doing business with Israel and doing business with companies that are part of the occupation. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE BILLS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

4 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
3 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
2 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

Primary purpose is to discourage economic pressure targeting settlements and the occupation (and lay groundwork for imposing sanctions against those who engage in such actions. Strongly lobbied by AIPAC (Cardin announced plans to introduce the bill from dais during the 2015 AIPAC policy conference). SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE BILLS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

4 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
3 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
2 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

Expresses the sense of Congress that Israel is a major U.S. strategic partner. Some possible actions: providing Israel with defense articles and defense services, including missile and joint missile defense capabilities; expanding U.S.-Israel cyber cooperation; cooperation in the fields of energy, water, agriculture, and alternative fuel technologies; exchanging research, technology, intelligence, information, equipment, and personnel that will advance U.S. national security interests; any sale or export of major defense equipment to a country in the Middle East may not adversely affect Israel's qualitative military edge. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE BILLS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

4 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
3 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
2 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

Shimon Peres was a member of the pre-state Haganah, the militia primarily responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian villages. Though the Nakba is a matter of historical record, Peres insisted that Zionist forces “upheld the purity of arms," and even claimed that before Israel existed, “there was nothing here." In the 1950s, he worked in the defense ministry, and was “an architect of Israel’s nuclear weapons program" which, to this day, “remains outside the scrutiny of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)." Following the 1967 war, his slogan was "Settlements everywhere." SOURCE

In 1996, as part of Operation Grapes of Wrath, Peres ordered the Qana massacre, when Israel shelled a UN compound in Lebanon, killing 106 civilians. Afterwards he said, “I am at peace." Peres has consistently backed collective punishment and military brutality. During Operation Cast Lead, Peres described the “national solidarity behind the military operation" as “Israel’s finest hour." SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE RESOLUTIONS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
1 pro-Israel points for voting Yay where there was a roll call vote
1 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

Background (Summary of resolution): "Objects to U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334. Such resolution characterizes Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and demands cessation of settlement activities...Urges: (1) the U.S. presidential Administrations to uphold the practice of vetoing all Security Council resolutions that recognize unilateral Palestinian actions...and (2) the incoming presidential Administration to... facilitate the resumption of negotiations without preconditions..." SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE RESOLUTIONS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
1 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
1 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

September 2015 saw an increase in extremist Jewish groups visiting a strictly Muslim holy place in Jerusalem, which caused Palestinians to fear that Israel was about to start allowing Jewish worship at the shrine. Israel banned Palestinian Islamist groups that protested against the visits. Many analysts regard this issue of access as key to the increase in tension in the fall of 2015, as Jerusalem saw a spike in street attacks. 36 Israelis and 2 Americans were killed in Palestinian attacks; 222 Palestinians were killed between September and December 2015. SOURCE

Wording of the bill includes: Whereas President Abbas has helped to fuel the current violence in recent weeks by falsely casting Israel as the brutal aggressor in multiple public speeches, refusing to condemn the lethal terror attacks, and failing to acknowledge Israel’s right to self-defense; whereas Israel has in recent weeks been subjected to an alarming wave of terrorism directed against innocent civilians by Palestinians armed with knives, meat cleavers, guns, and cars; whereas there have been approximately 69 such attacks since the beginning of October 2015, leaving 11 Israelis dead and another 145 wounded. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE RESOLUTIONS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
1 pro-Israel points for voting Yay where there was a roll call vote
1 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

*"S. Res" or "Sense of" resolutions are non-binding resolutions typically used for: going on the record regarding a particular policy or concept; an attempt by some members to persuade other members to support their cause; an attempt to get the president to take/not take some specific action; to express an opinion to the gov't of a foreign nation; or as a formal Thank You note.

Background: In 2014, Israel attacked Gaza with the declared purpose of stopping "unprovoked" rocket attacks (this was the 3rd such attack since 2008), although Israel had provoked Gaza by imposing a brutal blockade since 2007, and Israel had already killed approx. 1,600 Palestinians in the previous "wars" to avenge 17 peacetime Israeli rocket deaths in 11 years. The US Senate supported this incursion even though the previous 2 had been bloodbaths. In this "war," 2,200 Palestinians and 73 Israelis were killed.

"Condemns the unprovoked rocket fire at Israel and calls on Hamas to cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel."

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE RESOLUTIONS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
1 pro-Israel points for voting Yay where there was a roll call vote
1 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

*"S. Res" or "Sense of" resolutions are non-binding resolutions typically used for: going on the record regarding a particular policy or concept; an attempt by some members to persuade other members to support their cause; an attempt to get the president to take/not take some specific action; to express an opinion to the gov't of a foreign nation; or as a formal Thank You note.

Background: In 2012, Israel attacked Gaza with the declared purpose of stopping "unprovoked" rocket attacks (this was the 2nd such attack - the 1st being in 2008-9), although Israel had provoked Gaza by imposing a brutal blockade since 2007, and Israel had already killed over 1,400 Palestinians in the previous "war" to avenge 17 peacetime Israeli rocket deaths in 11 years. The US Senate supported this incursion even though the previous one had been a blood bath. In this "war," 174 Palestinians and 6 Israelis were killed.

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE RESOLUTIONS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
1 pro-Israel points for voting Yay where there was a roll call vote
1 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

*"S. Res" or "Sense of" resolutions are non-binding resolutions typically used for: going on the record regarding a particular policy or concept; an attempt by some members to persuade other members to support their cause; an attempt to get the president to take/not take some specific action; to express an opinion to the gov't of a foreign nation; or as a formal Thank You note.

"Any Palestinian unity government must forswear terrorism, accept Israel's right to exist, and reaffirm previous agreements made with Israel"¦Urges Palestinian leaders to cease efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including through a unilateral declaration of statehood or by seeking recognition of a Palestinian state from the UN"¦Senate will consider restrictions on aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) should the PA persist in efforts to circumvent direct negotiations..." SOURCE

Throughout the summer [of 2011] many Israeli politicians seemed to be in a state of near hysteria over the possibility that the Palestinians would seek to gain recognition of a state through the U.N. It is unclear why this was considered such a threat to Israel, except that it might hinder Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's apparent strategy of pretending to want to negotiate while relentlessly expanding Israeli colonies in the West Bank and Jerusalem. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE RESOLUTIONS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
1 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
1 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

*"S. Res" or "Sense of" resolutions are non-binding resolutions typically used for: going on the record regarding a particular policy or concept; an attempt by some members to persuade other members to support their cause; an attempt to get the president to take/not take some specific action; to express an opinion to the gov't of a foreign nation; or as a formal Thank You note.

See background on 2008-9 "War in the next column, S.Res 10." After the "war," the UN established a fact-finding mission to investigate possible violations of human rights laws by Israel. Richard Goldstone, head of the team, a Jew and Zionist, insisted on also investigating Hamas. The team's findings, a 574-paage report published in Sept 2009, indicated possible war crimes and crimes against humanity on both sides, but allegations against Israel were much more serious, including the use of disproportionate force and the targeting of civilians. In 2011, Richard Goldstone unexpectedly rescinded parts of the report; however the rest of the team stood by the report.

"AIPAC, in concert with every mainstream pro-Israel organization in the United States, supports this important resolution," said Josh Block, a spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. "In echoing the administration's condemnation and calling for concrete action, Congress will be sending the strong message that the United States will not stand for turning the victim into the perpetrator." SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR SENATE RESOLUTIONS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 pro-Israel points for sponsoring
2 pro-Israel points for cosponsoring
1 pro-Israel points for voting aye where there was a roll call vote
1 pro-Palestine points for Nay, Present, or Not Voting

*"S. Res" or "Sense of" resolutions are non-binding resolutions typically used for: going on the record regarding a particular policy or concept; an attempt by some members to persuade other members to support their cause; an attempt to get the president to take/not take some specific action; to express an opinion to the gov't of a foreign nation; or as a formal Thank You note.

The stated reason for Operation Cast Lead was to "stop the rockets." Rockets launched from Gaza had killed 14 Israelis from 2001-mid 2008, an average of less than 2/year. During the same period, 136 Gazans were killed. (During the US-supported incursion, 1,417 Palestinians and 9 Israelis were killed.)

“Expresses commitment to the welfare and survival of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders and recognizes Israel's right to act in self-defense. Reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. Encourages the President to work to support a sustainable cease-fire in Gaza that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding the capability to launch rockets and mortars against Israel and allows for the long term improvement of daily living conditions for Gaza's people…" SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR OPEN LETTERS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

2 points for signing a letter

All 100 US senators Signed a letter to United Nations Secy-General António Guterres demanding an end to the “unacceptable" anti-Israel bias in the international body. “…we urge you to ensure that Israel is treated neither better nor worse than any other UN member in good standing," the letter said, describing the “continued targeting of Israel" as “unacceptable." SOURCE

And “most troubling" of all, the senators maintained, is the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which is “charged with shining a light on gross human rights violations." The letter states that “the UNHRC — whose membership currently includes some of the world’s worst human rights violators — instead devotes time to unwarranted attacks against Israel."

SCORING KEY FOR OPEN LETTERS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

2 points for signing a letter

36 US senators called on Congress to add $320 million for Israeli missile defense to the Senate version of a 2017 defense appropriations bill. Their letter to the Armed Services Committee chairmen included: “Amid growing rocket and missile threats…it is prudent for the US and Israel to...accelerate bilateral cooperation on missile defense technologies." Pres Obama threatened to veto legislation with that level of funding. He “opposes the addition of $455 million" for Israeli missile defense procurement and cooperative development programs, though the bill cuts $324 million from non-Israel related defense systems. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR OPEN LETTERS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

2 points for signing a letter

SOURCE

Legislation to give Israel $38 billion over the next ten years has been working its way through Congress. This is the largest military aid package in U.S. history. Yet, while Israeli media are covering the legislation, virtually no U.S. news reports have informed American taxpayers about this proposed disbursement of their tax money. The proposed military aid amounts to $23,000 per every Jewish Israeli family of four. (Aid to Israel has been on average about 7,000 times greater per capita than U.S. aid to others around the world.) SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR OPEN LETTERS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

2 points for signing letter

11/9/15 U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) today sent a bipartisan letter Signed by 36 senators to Federica Mogherini, VP of the European Commission. The letter expresses concern over reports that the European Union (EU) intends to move forward with new guidelines this week to label certain products made by Israeli companies imported into the EU.
SOURCE

According to the guidelines, products made in Israel's illegal settlements cannot be labeled "Made in Israel." Instead, the labeling must clearly indicate that they were produced in an Israeli settlement. Although the EU explicitly stated that it "does not support any form of boycott or sanctions against Israel," dozens of members of Congress have castigated the EU's decision. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR AMBASSADOR CONFIRMATION VOTES:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 pro-Israel points for voting in favor of confirmation

See all Senate votes for this confirmation here.

David Friedman personally identifies with Israel’s illegal colonization of Palestinian land and raises millions of dollars each year to fund an Israeli settlement. He opposes Palestinian exercising sovereignty over any portion of their historic homeland and speaks approvingly of Israel’s annexation of the West Bank. This contradicts decades of US policy. Our ambassador to Israel must uphold US opposition to Israeli settlements, not represent Israel’s settler movement. SOURCE

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on Monday accused the media of major bias against Israel in its coverage of the recent violence on the Gaza border, telling reporters to “keep your mouths shut until you figure it out"…Friedman claimed that most journalists covering the clashes in recent weeks had never bothered investigating whether Israel had other viable alternatives for defending its border besides using live fire. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR AMBASSADOR CONFIRMATION VOTES:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

3 points for voting for or against the confirmation of an Israel partisan as ambassador

See all Senate votes for this confirmation here.

From Nikki Haley’s confirmation hearing opening statement: “Nowhere has the UN’s failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel. Last month’s passage of UN Resolution 2334 was a terrible mistake, making a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians harder to achieve…I was the first governor in America to sign legislation combatting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divest, and Sanction, or “BDS" movement. .. In fact, I pledge to you this: I will never abstain when the United Nations takes any action that comes in direct conflict with the interests and values of the United States." SOURCE

Nikki Haley’s words upon leaving the UN Human Rights Council 6/19/18: "For too long, the Human Rights Council has been a protector of human rights abusers, and a cesspool of political bias." Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu praised the move however, thanking Trump and Haley for their "courageous decision against the hypocrisy and the lies of the so-called UN Human Rights Council. For years, the UNHRC has proven to be a biased, hostile, anti-Israel organization that has betrayed its mission of protecting human rights," he said. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR ATTENDANCE AT NETANYAHU SPEECH:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

1 pro-Israel point for attending

BACKGROUND: 1/8/15 House Speaker John Boehner (R) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) arranged to have Netanyahu speak before Congress without notifying the White House, to "make sure," in Boehner's words, "that there was no interference" from the administration... Attendance at Netanyahu's speech became a litmus test of a Congress person's dedication to Israel. SOURCE

President Obama believed that reaching a deal with Iran...waas the best way to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and to prevent a war with Iran. Netanyahu believed that the Iranians are not negotiating in good faith, and that any deal likely to be struck would be a bad one...He believes a nuclear Iran would pose a threat to Israel's very survival.

SCORING KEY FOR COMMENTS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

1-3 pro-Israel or pro-Palestine points, depending on the strength of content
0 points for comments that were "on the fence"

BACKGROUND: 7/17/18 From OCHA: Of particular concern is the impact that shortfalls in fuel will have on the provision of critical health, water and sanitation services in Gaza. With electricity cuts up to 20 hours per day, over 220 health and WASH facilities in the Gaza Strip depend on donor-funded emergency fuel to power back-up generators to deliver essential services. 15,000 Palestinians have been injured since 30 March in the context of demonstrations; the health system is on the verge of collapse; and the Israeli blockade has created an 11-year humanitarian crisis that has raised concerns over collective punishment. Simultaneously, historically low levels of funding, along with the unprecedented financial crisis facing UNRWA, leave humanitarian partners ill positioned to meet increasing needs or responding to any further deterioration. SOURCE

"SILENCE" for this issue reflects an unwillingness to acknowledge the collective suffering of 2 million people for 11 years, an illegal blockade, and the systematic starvation and forced economic collapse of a people group. It can only be described as a conscious pro-Israel position.

SCORING KEY FOR COMMENTS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

1-3 pro-Israel or pro-Palestine points, depending on the strength of content
0 points for comments that were "on the fence"

As of 11 September 2018, at least 172 Gazans have been killed and approximately 19,000 injured in the peaceful protest that began on March 30 and has continued every Friday since. The demonstrators have been unarmed except for slingshots, some Molotov cocktails, and some kites and tires which have been set on fire. A few people have approached the border fence, but at no time were IDF soldiers' lives threatened. Yet Israel employed snipers with live bullets, including exploding bullets. In many cases, medics were shot, as well as bystanders, children, the disabled, and people with their hands up or running away from the conflict. Yet other than 14 May (the day the US embassy in Jerusalem opened) there has been almost no news coverage. SOURCE

"SILENCE" for this issue reflects an unwillingness to acknowledge the right of 2 million people under blockade to peacefully protest their oppression, and the heavy-handed approach by Israel in using snipers to control them. It can only be described as a conscious pro-Israel position.

SCORING KEY FOR COMMENTS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

1-3 pro-Israel or pro-Palestine points, depending on the strength of content
0 points for comments that were "on the fence"

BACKGROUND: On 12/6/17, President Trump said, “I have determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel…I’ve judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.  This is a long-overdue step to advance the peace process and to work towards a lasting agreement." Both Israelis and Palestinians claim [Jerusalem] as their political capital and as a sacred religious site…The city’s status has been disputed, at least officially, since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War…During the war, Israel seized the city’s western half. It seized the eastern half during the next Arab-Israeli war, in 1967. Most foresee a peace deal that gives western Jerusalem to Israel and eastern Jerusalem to a future Palestinian state. Much of the world already considered the United States a biased and unhelpful actor, promoting Israeli interests in a way that perpetuated the conflict. SOURCE

BACKGROUND: Trump's move overturns nearly seven decades of foreign policy and analysts warn it could threaten efforts to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Arab leaders warn it could elicit new outbreaks of violence, prompting the White House to prepare by coordinating plans to protect Americans abroad. Israeli security officials say they are prepared for all scenarios. In addition to angering key allies in the in the Arab world, the move threatens to infuriate allies in the West. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR COMMENTS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

1-3 pro-Israel or pro-Palestine points, depending on the strength of content
0 points for comments that were "on the fence"

BACKGROUND: In late August 2017, Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman announced that the Israeli government would evacuate the entire community within several months. Residents of the village were set to be transferred to a site near the former Jerusalem municipal garbage dump near the village of Abu Dis. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled to allow the Israeli army to demolish the entire village of Khan al-Ahmar - a devastating blow to the families who have spent nearly a decade campaigning and fighting a legal battle to remain on their land and maintain their way of life. “Going ahead with the demolition is not only cruel, it would also amount to forcible transfer, which is a war crime," said Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Magdalena Mughrabi. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR COMMENTS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

1-3 pro-Israel or pro-Palestine points, depending on the strength of content
0 points for comments that were "on the fence"

David Friedman personally identifies with Israel’s illegal colonization of Palestinian land and raises millions of dollars each year to fund an Israeli settlement. He opposes Palestinian exercising sovereignty over any portion of their historic homeland and speaks approvingly of Israel’s annexation of the West Bank. This contradicts decades of US policy. Our ambassador to Israel must uphold US opposition to Israeli settlements, not represent Israel’s settler movement. SOURCE

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman on Monday accused the media of major bias against Israel in its coverage of the recent violence on the Gaza border, telling reporters to “keep your mouths shut until you figure it out"…Friedman claimed that most journalists covering the clashes in recent weeks had never bothered investigating whether Israel had other viable alternatives for defending its border besides using live fire. SOURCE

SCORING KEY FOR COMMENTS:
(Each flag symbol represents 1 point)

1-3 pro-Israel or pro-Palestine points, depending on the strength of content
0 points for comments that were "on the fence"

BACKGROUND: The so-called “Israel Anti-Boycott" bills, promoted by AIPAC, have made some progress. Both S. 720, introduced by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) in March 2017, and H.R. 1697, introduced by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) the same month, claim that the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movements penalize firms doing business in Israel, but in fact they are about doing business in Israel’s colonies, not Israel. Both the ACLU and Amnesty International have expressed their opposition to the bills because of their attacks on free speech. SOURCE

These bills effectively erase the Green Line in U.S. law. They: declare efforts to promote differentiation between Israel and settlements “reminiscent" of the Arab League Boycott of Israel (which U.S. law bars US companies from participating in); include a Statement of Policy that when it comes to UN policies explicitly targeting settlements and the occupied territories, Congress, “views such policies as actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel" SOURCE